22, i Sellards and Leiva: Amoebic Dysentery 21 



ABSTRACT OF EXPERIMENTS 



The accompanying notes give brief abstracts of the more- 

 important experiments. Many unfavorable results have been 

 included to illustrate the conditions essential for success. The 

 drugs used for treatment have always been given by rectal in- 

 jection, except where otherwise noted. The enemata that are 

 recorded refer exclusively to saline injections given for the 

 purpose of diagnosis. The microscopic examination of stools 

 refers only to perfectly fresh specimens that were passed while 

 the animals were under observation in the laboratory. Negative 

 examinations for amoebae are not recorded in the autopsy of 

 animals that were found dead ; such reports might be misleading, 

 on account of the rapid degeneration of amcebse after death 

 of the host. No blood cultures were made on animals that 

 were found dead. 



Toxicity. — Emetine hydrochloride was used in 1 to 1,000 dilu- 

 tion in water. The following tests were made to determine its 

 toxicity. Six adult cats weighing 1,800 to 2,400 grams were 

 given daily doses -of 10 milligrams per kilogram for three suc- 

 cessive days. The injections were made subcutaneously in two, 

 and by rectum in the other four, the animals being observed 

 for two to three hours after injection to be sure that no loss 

 took place during this period. On the fourth day both of the 

 cats receiving subcutaneous injection were found dead. Of the 

 animals receiving injections per rectum, one was nauseated on 

 the fourth day and died during the night; the other three 

 remained well. 



October 28, 1920. Weight, 2,200 grams; injected with amoebae direct 

 from patient. 



November 3. Weight, 2,100 grams ; enema, copious amount of blood and 

 numerous amoebae ; incubation period six days ; injected subcutaneously with 

 8 milligrams of emetine per kilogram; slight vomiting; during the day 

 three bloody stools rich in amoeba? were passed. 



November 4. Weight, 2,000 grams; enema, blood and active E. hystoly- 

 tica; emetine, 4 milligrams per kilogram injected subcutaneously. 



November 5. Weight, 2,000 grams; passing blood rich in amoebae not 

 actively phagocytic; emetine, 8 milligrams per kilogram per rectum. 



November 6. Weight, 1,940 grams; yellow faecal stool rich in amoebae; 

 emetine, 4 milligrams per kilogram per rectum. 



November 7. No examination. 



November 8. Weight, 1,790 grams; semiformed stool slightly blood- 

 streaked; no amoebae; enema, no blood nor amoebae; emetine, 4 milligrams 

 per kilogram per rectum. 



November 9. No stools. 



